James Franco Addresses Gay Rapist Rumors

James Franco has a career in every industry short of rocket science, but he somehow found the time to sit down for a Playboy interview.

In the upcoming issue, Franco addresses the controversy that has seemed to surround him since his lethargic Oscar hosting with Anne Hathaway. Franco told the mag:

“It’s hard to talk about [the Oscars] because it’s like assigning blame. I said to the producer, ‘I don’t know why you hired me, because you haven’t given me anything. I just don’t think this stuff’s going to be good.’”

One of the moments Franco refers to is dressing in drag as Marilyn Monroe.

“I was so pissed about that I was deliberately going to fall onstage and hopefully my dress would fall off or something,” he told the magazine. “They couldn’t blame that on me; I was in high heels.”

As far as his hosting, Franco says, “As far as having low energy or seeming as though I wasn’t into it or was too cool for it, I thought, Okay Anne is going the enthusiastic route. I’ve been trained as an actor to respond to circumstances, to the people I’m working with, and not force anything.”

Back in 2008, Franco’s name was brought up after the New York Post published a blind item. The rumor involved an actor who assaulted and raped his boyfriend. Franco’s lawyers reached out to the sites to stop the rumor, and after they refused to take it down, they said they were happy to have Franco make a comment.

“It was a choice,” Franco says. “Either let this thing build and become bigger and bigger, or just let it go and let them be the petty scumbags that they are.”

Franco chose the latter, but says it was an especially offensive rumor because he has friends who have had to deal with rape.